Louis Lecoin

Louis Lecoin , born the September 30th 1888 with Saint-Amand-Montrond in the Expensive and died in 1971, was militant a Pacifiste and Libertaire. It was at the origin of the foundation of the pacifist Union of France.

Biography

Louis Lecoin came from a very poor family, illiterate parents (it had to him even only a Certificat of studies. He became corrector of printing works after having followed the occupations of operation, gardener, cement-manufacturer and avoit be beggar). He bound with a worker of postal and telecommunications authorities, Marie Morand, until the death of this one in 1958. During its life it created various publications: what it is necessary to say , the Libertarian , Défense of the Man and Liberté .

He spent twelve years of his life in prison for his ideas. In October 1910, young recruit, it accepted the order with its regiment to go to break a strike of railwaymen. He refused, which was worth 6 months of prison to him. Demobilized in 1912, it went to Paris and became, after having taken contact with the libertarian mediums, secretary of the communist anarchistic Fédération. In 1921, present at the congress of the CGT to Lille, in front of the threats of the " large bras" direction, it drew in the air with its revolver so that the revolutionary trade unionists can express themselves.

It carried out two combat which had repercussions in the whole world.

the first was to defend three militants of the Spanish National confederation of work, Buenaventura Durruti, Gregorio Jover and Francisco Ascaso required by the Argentine and the dictatorial Spain which showed them to have prepared an attack against the king of Spain Alphonse XIII which one announced a visit in France. They were stopped in France for wearing of prohibited weapons. Lecoin assembled a Committee of the right of asylum and seizes the Ligue of the human rights. The extradition of the three men did not take place.
the second was in favor of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, carried out with the the United States the August 23rd 1927. Lecoin made a blow of glare little time afterwards within the congress of American Legion (gathering the American war veterans of 14-18). After having infiltrated the places at the price of a disguise of soldier (because Lecoin was followed by the police force), it settled within the congress. The president spoke, Lecoin rose and repeated three times “Vivent Sacco and Vanzetti! ”. It was stopped.

As of the declaration of the Second world war, Louis Lecoin wrote a leaflet entitled " immediate Peace ". He, because of that, was imprisoned until in 1943.

After the war it founded the support group with Garry Davis to create a world Citoyenneté. Louis Lecoin launched in 1958 his countryside for obtaining a statute for the Conscientious objectors. Albert Camus took an active part in this countryside from which it could not see the result. The government refused to hold its promise and on June 1st 1961, Louis Lecoin started a Hunger strike at the 74 years age. This action, started in the indifference, but after a few days, Lecoin accepted the support of the large press, in particular of the Canard connected (Henri Jeanson which challenged the intellectuals by resounding a " Holà! Large Mouths! Will you let die Louis Lecoin? ". Lecoin was then hospitalized of force. With the 21e day, the Prime Minister Georges Pompidou transmitted the promise to him that a Bill was going to be submitted to the Parliament. But that initially appeared insufficient for Lecoin, " crab-louse sublimates " and it is only the following day that it stopped its fast. In August 1963, indicator which the bill was still not voted, Louis Lecoin threatened to start again his hunger strike. The government yielded and the statute was promulgated the December 23rd 1963, and all the objectors were released.

Its name was proposed for the Nobel Prize of Peace in 1964 but he asked his withdrawal in order to leave more chances to Martin Luther King.

Random links: